


From Now On

by tarte



Series: The Fox and The Hound [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Forests, Home, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by The Fox and the Hound (1981), M/M, it's not a major death tho mingyu wonwoo and chan r alive, unbeta'ed work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 22:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarte/pseuds/tarte
Summary: Mingyu and Wonwoo are looking for a home, in the forest that holds the key to change.





	From Now On

**Author's Note:**

> THIS AU WAS SMTH ME AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TALK ABOUT, we have a lot more ideas in mind so........ this could be a series maybe? sakljdksl it's been a while since i rly wrote so critique is welcome! I'd love to listen to how I can improve my work!
> 
> Speshul thanks to Miya ur the bro ily

The forest was magical. He had spent so much time dashing through the luscious greens of the wild and watching the clear waters flow through what was essentially the heart of his favourite place in the whole world. Today, he was going to find a new home. 

Mingyu was what humans called a German Shepard. With a strong body that carried him through the roughest of terrains and the harshest weather, there was nothing that this canine could do. He could sniff out the freshest meat, chase down the fastest game, sink his jaws and instantly earn his kill. Mingyu could do anything, except-

“Mingyu, hurry up!”

He could do anything except resist Wonwoo. 

Pulling his nose back from a delightfully sweet-smelling flower, the dog huffs and shakes out the pollen from his face, then he rushes to Wonwoo’s side.

Ah, Wonwoo.

Wonwoo had the most luscious coat he had ever seen. From the reds and oranges that seemed to react to the sunlight differently, depending on the angle of view, to the way his nose scrunched when he seemed so happy; Mingyu couldn’t deny it. He was in love with what was once his prey. 

Today, both of them were journeying through the east of the bumpy wood, finding a new home for the both of them; far enough from the city. It wasn’t as if they disliked their old burrow, but they both decided that it was far better for the both of them that they stayed away from humans as much as they possibly could. Plus, this corner of the forest was the best. It was close enough to the river that you could hear the thundering crash of the waterfall pounding the rocks at the bottom, but far enough that there was enough lush greenery as far as the eye could see. 

The large dog caught up to his smaller companion’s side, curiously sniffing at his partner’s side as he bent his head down to look at something, an orangey something curled up at the root of a large, oak tree. 

“Watcha lookin’ at, Wonwoo-hyung?” The dog softly whimpered, wanting very much to know what had caught his partner’s eye besides himself. 

“Shh. You’ll wake him up.” Came Wonwoo’s muffled reply. 

Mingyu peeked over Wonwoo’s head, only to spot a small little fox that was peacefully asleep. Or dead. The dog hoped it was the former. 

“Oh gosh. Is he alive? Where did you find him?”

“I found him right here. I’m pretty sure he’s alive, he’s breathing. Just not awake.” 

Wonwoo leaned in, nudging his brown nose against the little fox cub’s stomach. The smaller fox was different from what Wonwoo looked like. This smaller being had shorter, puffier brown fur; with little mixes of black and white across his entire body. Whoever he was, it was clear that there was not another fox in sight. 

“Should we bring him along?” The dog growled softly in question, “I don’t really see any foxes around. I don’t smell one in sight either, only you and this kiddo right here.”

“I don’t know, Mingyu. I’m worried that if we bring him along, we might get into trouble.”

“And let him die here alone?” Mingyu whimpers, looking quite concerned. His brows furrowed lightly in worry, knowing that it was only the right thing for them to take the lonely cub into their custody. “He can’t fend for himself, hyung. We might as well foster him till he’s strong enough to live on his own or something.”

“You’re right. I guess we just have to.” Wonwoo nodded, and he leaned down to gently nudge his nose against the little fox’s tummy again, harder this time.

“Hey little buddy. Wake up.”

Groaning at the disturbance, the cub rolled gently away from Wonwoo’s snout, pushing himself up against the root of the large oak tree stretching across the sky above them. The air was getting a little colder, a telltale sign of an impending storm. The two knew they had to seek shelter soon.

“5 more minutes…” whined the little cub, his two hind legs lightly twitching as he tried to push the disturbance away. 

Knowing it was impossible to wake up this stubborn little brat, Mingyu quickly lunged in to bite on his scruff, picking up the small cub and turning back onto their journey’s course. 

Shocked awake, the cub made a loud squeaking noise, and he began to thrash his arms and legs, swinging a little in mid-air as he tried to grab onto something solid. 

“Hey! Who are you?! Put me down!” He cried, looking less than happy to be carried by this weird deformed fox.

“Hey, calm down buddy. We’re just bringing you to somewhere dry! We’ll be there in a moment.” Wonwoo quickly growled in a soft, hushed manner; hoping that it could calm the little fox cub down. Despite this, it only seemed to make things a little worse.

“Put me down! Put me down!” At some point, the thrashing became too much. Knowing that the cub had a high chance of falling if he didn’t put him down, Mingyu hurriedly leaned down to place the smallest being on the forest floor. 

“There. There! Happy now? Calm down! We’re not trying to eat you or anything!” Growled the German Shepard. The smaller cub growled back at him with ears flattened against his head, making it sort of a comical scene to watch. A large, scary looking dog growling at a tiny baby fox that barely knew how to survive? Comedy gold, Wonwoo thought. Knowing that it could potentially take a while, he lowered his butt onto the bumpy, grassy floor; curling up his tail around him as he made himself comfortable.

“Why did you take me away? I was trying to make my own burrow! Now I can’t find it because you brought me too far away!” said the cub.

Mingyu looked like he could laugh. Such a tiny thing trying to set up a large home on his own? It was unheard of!

“Look, little guy. It’s about to storm really badly, and the both of us are just trying to do you a favour by finding shelter for all three of us. You don’t have to act tough cause you’re scared.” 

“You’re not my dad! You’re an ugly looking fox anyway!” 

The air was tense, and the dog was seriously not happy. True, Mingyu wasn’t the father of this angry little cub, but to be called ugly? That was a low blow. 

“Why you--!”

“Alright. Both of you, stop it.” Came the calm growl. 

The red fox stood up properly, dark and soulful eyes directed at Mingyu. 

“You know how to dig right, Mingyu? I think that little hillside there is perfect for a burrow. Why not you dig us some shelter? We can make home base here.” 

The German Shepard narrowed his eyes, glancing between both foxes for a minute, before his large form retreated to the hill. 

Now that they were both alone, the large red fox sat himself before the ruffled cub; his overall presence surprisingly calming for the younger.

“First things first. What’s your name?” He asked. The cub was hesitant. Should he tell him? He was much nicer than the ugly fox. After deciding that he trusted the adult fox, the cub sat himself down; allowing himself to take deep breaths to relax his tense form a little.

“…Chan. I’m Chan.” 

“I’m Wonwoo. Now Chan, you want to tell me why you were out there alone under that tree?” 

The air around them turned a little colder, the winds blowing and rustling the leaves. Little crackles filled the air from the branches hitting each other, and it was clearly going to be a cold and wet night. 

“I lost my parents.” 

Wonwoo tensed up a little. He had expected something along the line, but for this young one to openly admit it? It was shocking.

“So you were trying to make a home because you lost yours?” The fox inquired, and his answer came in a silent nod of the head.

“I had a burrow before. It’s south from here, and it took very long for me to walk here.” Chan lowered his head in sadness, his tail limp against the floor. “I miss my mom and dad, mister… We were going to hunt for fish when we got stuck in this weird trap thing! Mom and dad managed to push me out of it and they told me to run, so I did.” 

“You haven’t seen them since?”

“No. A little while after I ran, I heard a loud bang, and I think I heard my parents shout. I ran as fast as I could then.” 

The cub paused, his little figure frozen. Without warning, he began to tremble, and Wonwoo spotted little teardrops wetting the crushed leaves under Chan. The cub had clearly been affected deeply by the loss of his parents.

Quick to act, the larger fox stepped forward and curled his warm body around the small cub, knowing that he had to do something to cushion the pain of loss. Chan was only such a young one. To lose what was your entire life to one split-second misfortune was something Wonwoo would never wish for anyone. 

“Chan. I know this seems weird, but what if we became your parents?” Wonwoo softly purred, his luscious fur and warm body acting as an enveloping comfort for the orphaned cub.

“Huh?” Chan looked up at him, his eyes reddened from the tears, and the fur on his cheeks damp from where they fell. “What do you mean?”

“You see… Mingyu and I, we are looking for a home too. We both got separated because of the humans and we nearly lost each other. But we are here now, together. That’s all that matters right? It takes togetherness to form a family.”

“You’d really do that for me, mister?” Chan looked so hopeful, and the hope seemed to spread to Wonwoo too. The older fox’s heart seemed to warm in his chest, and it was at this moment he knew that he had found his family. 

“Hey. We’re family now, right? Family doesn’t have to be by blood. As long as we support each other, love each other, we’ll grow together and protect our little family.” Wonwoo purred gently, beginning to lick over his adopted cub’s head in affection.

“Hyung! Hyung!” Came a loud bark from behind them. 

The skies were grey now, covered in heavy rain clouds. The trees rustled in the wind as the leaves whistled. In the distance, sounds of the birds chirping to call their children back could be heard. 

“Hyung,” Mingyu ran up to the both of them, panting hard as he grinned like a Cheshire cat, “I’ve done it! We have a burrow! Quickly, it’s gonna rain! Hurry!” The dog hurried bounded for their new home, running as fast as his hind legs could carry them. 

The two foxes looked at each other, smiling silently at each other for a moment. 

“Home?” Chan piped up quietly, his ears twitching slightly in happiness.

“Home.” Wonwoo replied, before he uncurled himself from the small cub, pushing himself up onto his hind legs. The two foxes moved side by side, each with a renewed sense of hope for a new family. In hindsight, it wasn’t the most normal family. A German Shepard, a fox and an adopted cub from another litter? The forest would be whispering about them for weeks to come!

Despite all that, to the trio, it was the start of a new family, a new home. The start of new journeys, new adventures, and new experiences. 

It was a wish come true for all of them.


End file.
